Accessories for Flute Players
I love the flute! My husband and daughter both play flute so I get to hear quite a lot of flute music. Of course some of it is rather less than melodious, but fortunately much of it is delightful. Although our cats absolutely hate it!
I've learned how much is needed to play flute well. It's not just a flute, or some music and a teacher. It's not even just hours of practice. There's lots of other things - flute accessories - that are needed to be successful. So if you're an aspiring flute player, here's what you need!
Enchanted Flute
by Josephine Wall
Buy at AllPosters.com
Table of Contents
- So You Want to Play Flute?
- You Need a Music Stand!
- Music Stands
- You Need Light!
- Music Stand Light
- Marching Bands are Fun
- Lyre for Marching
- You Need to Keep in Time and in Tune!
- Metronome/Tuner
- You Need a Supporter!
- Cobras on Video!
- Keep your Flute Clean!
- Flute Cleaning Kit
- Carry your Flute Carefully!
- Flute Case Cover
- Show your Love of the Flute!
- Do You Play the Flute?
So You Want to Play Flute?

OK, you've got your flute. You've got music and a teacher. What else do you need to become a great flute player?
Well, hours of practice of course. But that's not all. There are many accessories that are really essential to good flute playing, for the new student and professional alike.
Buy Flute by Rachel Perryman at Imagekind.com
You Need a Music Stand!

OK, yeah, I know this guy looks pretty weird! Maybe you don't need to practice in a dusty old attic like he does (or wear such odd clothes), but this guy has the right idea - he's standing up and playing music from a music stand. If you want to learn to play your flute well, you've got to have your music at the right height and right angle. Just putting it on the table or bed beside you doesn't encourage good posture! You'll never be able to get good tone if you can't breathe right and can't develop good embouchure because you're holding your flute at the wrong angle just to see the music.
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The Flute Player
by Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier
Buy at AllPosters.com
Music Stands
There are two major types of music stands - the folding up wire kind and the solid metal kind. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, of course! We've had both.
The wire kind is much lighter, portable, easy to bring with you anywhere. But it's not so stable or adjustable. Those black metal ones are definitely heavier! But they are really stable, and usually adjust much better to the height and angle you need. And they often come with a bag to carry them in, so they're portable too (if you're going by car not walking at least!).
You Need Light!

Well this flute player has a beautiful bright sun shining on her music, no problem here! But life isn't always so easy. Many times it's a bit dark, and you can't read the music easily. What you need then is a light for your music stand.
The Flute Player
Buy From Art.com
Music Stand Light
Marching Bands are Fun
Go Flutes!

Lyre for Marching
If you join a marching band you'll need this product to hold your music!
You Need to Keep in Time and in Tune!

Whether you're just playing on your own or in a group, a band, or a marching band, you need to be able to play in time. That's where the metronome comes in. Every piece was written to be played at a certain tempo, and without a metronome it's almost impossible to keep that speed consistent while practicing.
And it's also important to play in tune. If you get used to hearing yourself play a piece sharp or flat it's hard to adjust your playing to the group later. So you need to a tuner to tell you the correct pitch.
Flutist II
Buy From Art.com
Metronome/Tuner
You can buy separate metronome and tuner, and some people prefer that. Often a metronome will be louder when it's a stand alone.
In our case, we have an electric keyboard which has a metronome so that was OK for quite a while. So a separate tuner was the accessory we needed.
Then, when our daughter went off to college she needed her own, so she got the combo deal.
Sabine MT9000 MetroTune Chromatic Tuner and Metronome (LCD)
Amazon Price: $23.01 (as of 11/29/2009)![]()
This is the model our daughter bought. It's slim, compact, has a cute little case, and does everything you need. She likes it, says "it's pretty good...a little complicated but once you know what you want from it it's nice."
You Need a Supporter!
No, not people to cheer you on (although that's good too), the Cobra flute supporter will keep your flute stable while you play

You may find that it is difficult to hold your flute and play all the notes, especially if you joined that marching band! Maybe you just have a hard time holding the flute at the right angle to reach the keys. Or perhaps you're having trouble playing trills, or playing the third high octave, because you can't use the key with your thumb and keep the flute stable at the same time. To avoid such problems you need a Cobra Flute Supporter.
This ingenious little device is worn like a ring on your left forefinger. It's flexible so it adjusts to your finger and the support adjusts to the best angle to hold your flute securely.
Image of Cobras from Misticmedia Products.
Cobras on Video!
See how the Cobra works to support your flute
Cobra for the Flute
See the COBRA flute accessory in action! The COBRA easily supports the flute, allowing you to concentrate on playing well and not worry about holding the flute. Also, using the COBRA to support the flute frees up the thumb, making several notes easier to play, especially in trills.
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curated content from YouTube
Playing Flute with Cobra
See the COBRA flute accessory in action! The COBRA easily supports the flute, allowing you to concentrate on playing well and not worry about holding the flute. Also, using the COBRA to support the flute frees up the thumb, making several notes easier to play, especially in trills.
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curated content from YouTube
There are several styles of Cobras and they come in different sizes

COBRA A is the standard version.
COBRA B has a bigger head and tail to hold the flute more easily.
COBRA D is designed to make playing the flute more comfortable over long practice sessions.
Buy a Cobra from Misticmedia at artfire.com
Keep your Flute Clean!

Maybe you don't have a golden flute (we can't all be James Galway) but you do want to keep it clean. Shining and bright is so much nicer than all dull, smudged, and tarnished looking.
I'm convinced that a bright shining flute is happier, and so the music that comes out is better. Well, yes, you have to practice to actually play good music! But putting effort into cleaning and taking care of your flute is part of the investment in being a flute player. So be serious about the cleaning too!
Golden Flute
Buy From Art.com
Flute Cleaning Kit
Yes, cleaning the flute is important! There are several aspects to this.
There's just cleaning the body of the flute to keep it shiny, remember silver tarnishes, even silver plate! And there's cleaning the inside - all that spit needs a bit of drying out on occasion! So you need a cleaning rod and cleaning swabs for that. Then there's things like grease and oil for the keys. Yamaha also has special cleaning paper for removing moisture, oil, and stuff from the pads - not only extends the life of the pads, keeping them dry and clean makes for clearer sound.
Best is to buy a kit, it has everything you need. Show your flute some love!
Carry your Flute Carefully!

Your flute is delicate, and quite expensive! So make sure you have a good case for it, and store it carefully especially when you are going to bring it with you somewhere.
Your flute will have its own case, designed to fit it perfectly. Take care of the case, so that it will take care of your flute!
Flute Seller
Buy From Art.com
Flute Case Cover
Show your Love of the Flute!
Lovely flute jewelry, not essential to good flute playing but very attractive
Do You Play the Flute?
Which of these accessories do you have or recommend? Do you have others to recommend? Or just leave a comment on this lens!
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- spirituality spirituality Nov 16, 2009 @ 9:56 am
- Congratulations on a well deserved purple star. I guess we have more in common than spiritual interests. I just made a lens about flutes too :) http://www.squidoo.com/student-flute lensrolled this one there :)
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- _Joan_ _Joan_ Nov 15, 2009 @ 10:33 am
- Congratulations on your purple star!
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- HorseAndPony HorseAndPony Nov 12, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
- I do not play the flute but I love to listen. However, I like non traditional flute music. My favorite is Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRo5whIbau4 .
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- Heather426 Heather426 Nov 12, 2009 @ 11:25 am
- I love this lens! Blessed and congrats on your purple star! Love the artwork too!
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- JoyfulPamela JoyfulPamela Oct 19, 2009 @ 12:17 pm
- Oh ~ this is wonderful! I'm going to have to send my flute students here. I'll lensroll it to my flute lens for them. Thank you!
Pamela :)
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Lensmaster jptanabe has been a member since May 9 2009, has rated 838 lenses, favorited 53, and has created 85 lenses from scratch. Jennifer Tanabe donates their royalties to Save the Children. This member's top-ranked page is "Chocolate Christmas Ornaments". See all my lenses
























